Pope Sylvester II

Pope Sylvester II (946-12 May 1003), born Gerbert d'Aurillac, was Pope from 999 to 1003, succeeding Pope Gregory V and preceding Pope John XVII.

Biography
Gerbert d'Aurillac was born in 946 to a family of lowborn Catholic French, and he was elected pope in 999 after the possible assassination of Pope Gregory V. Gerbert took on the name "Sylvester", and he was the first French pope. During his reign, he introduced the Arabic numeral system and promoted the study of Arab and Greco-Roman math and astronomy. He died in 1003, the first pope of the first millennium.